No matter how relentless Kobe Bryant rehabs his left Achilles tendon, it appears he will have to push more before nearing the finish line.

Around the same time overcast clouds filled Los Angeles, Bryant greeted reporters at the Lakers’ facility in El Segundo wearing a pair of shades and a possible suggestion that hardly would bring much cheer to this city.

Bryant said he needs to condition for three weeks so he can fully restore his stamina, explosiveness and flexibility before returning to play. He said he he will begin those exercises once he can run and jump without feeling like he has what he called “Bambi legs.”

It seems doubtful Bryant will play in the Lakers’ season opener Oct. 29 against the Clippers at Staples Center. Not that he sounds worried.

“I just keep it all open right now,” Bryant said. “I don’t know why you guys are so hell bent on timelines. That’s ridiculous. It’s entertaining to me. When I’m ready, I’m ready.”

The Lakers haven’t offered any timeline beyond their estimate when Bryant tore his Achilles April 12 that he’d stay sidelined for at least six to nine months. Bryant will accompany the Lakers for their game Thursday against the Sacramento Kings at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, as well as their week-long trip to China where the team will play a pair of exhibition games against the Golden State Warriors in Beijing (Oct. 15) and Shanghai (Oct. 18).

Bryant is used to such travel.

He spent last week in Germany undergoing Orthokine treatment on his right knee. That procedure entailed Bryant’s blood being drawn, spun in a centrifuge and then reinjected into the knee in hopes to reduce the inflammation.

“It was cold,” Bryant joked about the trip. “Everything was great. I just felt like having a vacation.”

Bryant had the procedure on his right knee and left ankle in 2011, but he doesn’t envision any benefits until his Achilles recovers.

“I’m not where I was the first time I went and had the procedure in terms of being able to run as much,” Bryant said. “But I can do some things.”

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He’s currently running at his full body weight on a treadmill. To maximize flexibility and mobility in his Achilles tendon, Bryant has performed calf raises throughout the day. Before his trip to Germany, Bryant participated in light shooting and jogging drills without reporting any setbacks.

Bryant also will have to change his diet after allowing himself to indulge on sugar cookies and donuts during his recovery.

“I got to get my fat [behind] in shape,” Bryant said. “I had six months of eating whatever the hell I wanted to eat and not running, and stuff like that caught up to me.”

It sounds like he’s eager to start that next step.

“I’ll be happy when I can get out there on the floor and do what I do best,” Bryant said. “All of this right now is just the process to get to that point.”

A process that has left Bryant occassionally frustrated about his recovery.

“I’m not sure what triggers those moments or why they come,” Bryant said. “It’s just an ongoing process that seems is going to go on forever. You have those moments where you doubt yourself a little bit. But I try not to let it sit with me. I try to use it as motivation to get on the floor.”

It hardly sounds glamorous. But Bryant refuses to deviate from his regimented routine that calls for daily physical therapy, a routine he described as a “marathon.”

“I try not to think about it. Just get up and it’s almost like Groundhog Day,” Bryant said. “Some days are more exciting than others. But I just roll out of bed and go to work.”